The present invention relates to card-controlled safe-deposit box installations as well as to electrical matrix systems which enable one of a plurality of outputs to be energized in response to selection of a given combination of inputs.
Matrix circuits of this type are used as counting circuits and the like. Such counting circuits are capable of providing an output in accordance with a selected number, for example, but at the present time these circuits require a relatively large operating current as a result of the large number of output terminals required thereby. Thus, conventional circuits of this type have the drawback of requiring a large amount of electrical power for maintaining their normal operating condition so that it is possible to activate the conventional circuit until suitable control signals are supplied. In addition, with such conventional circuits the power or control current which is required increases as the number of outputs are increased.
The present invention also relates to safe-deposit box installations capable of being remotely controlled by utilizing, for example, an electrical matrix system as referred to above. Such safe-deposit box installations are used in banks, hotels, and the like, and it is desirable to provide remote controls for automatically selecting a given individual's safe-deposit box by means of an ID card which identifies the safe-deposit box of the given individual.
In general, a safe-deposit box is provided with two locks, one of which can be unlocked by the caretaker of the installation while the other requires the key of the client who has rented the box. The arrangement is made in such a way that the particular safe-deposit box cannot be opened unless both locks are simultaneously unlocked.
Large-scale safe-deposit box installations of this type require full-time caretakers and also create a considerable amount of trouble and inconvenience. In order to alleviate these conditions it is proposed to provide remote control arrangements to enable the caretaker to remain at one location so that the caretaker need not travel to a particular safe-deposit box whenever a given client wishes to have his box unlocked. In order to provide such a remote control system, the simplest arrangement would be one where the caretaker can select and operate the box which is to be opened for a given client by way of depression of a switch-button, for example. However, it is inevitable that with such a simple system there will be human error in the selection of a given switch-button so that erroneous partially unlocking of a box which should remain completely locked will occur. Once such an erroneous operation is carried out, the box which is unintentionally partially opened will remain with the caretaker's lock unlocked, so that under these conditions such a box will not be maintained in its locked condition with a high degree of reliability.
One of the further problems encountered with such safe-deposit box installations is the reliable maintenance of records showing when a given individual entered and left the establishment, so as to avoid the possibility of dealing stolen goods, for example. Thus, if reliable records in connection with the entrance and departure of given individuals are not kept, a secure management of a safe-deposit box installation is not possible since otherwise highly undesirable events can easily occur.
Such keeping of records in connection with arrival and departure of individuals who utilize the installation are extremely troublesome to the caretaker and creates particular difficulties in the event that several individuals are simultaneously on hand for simultaneously utilizing their safe-deposit boxes.